Community First Bank – Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, was closed today by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Northbrook Bank and Trust Company, Northbrook, Illinois, to assume all of the deposits of Community First Bank – Chicago.

The sole branch of Community First Bank – Chicago will reopen on Saturday as a branch of Northbrook Bank and Trust Company. Depositors of Community First Bank – Chicago will automatically become depositors of Northbrook Bank and Trust Company. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of Community First Bank – Chicago should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Northbrook Bank and Trust Company that it has completed systems changes to allow other Northbrook Bank and Trust Company branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Community First Bank – Chicago can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of December 31, 2010, Community First Bank – Chicago had approximately $51.1 million in total assets and $49.5 million in total deposits. Northbrook Bank and Trust Company will pay the FDIC a premium of 0.50 percent to assume all of the deposits of Community First Bank – Chicago. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Northbrook Bank and Trust Company agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Northbrook Bank and Trust Company entered into a loss-share transaction on $42.8 million of Community First Bank – Chicago's assets. Northbrook Bank and Trust Company will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-430-8098. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/commfirst_il.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $11.7 million. Compared to other alternatives, Northbrook Bank and Trust Company's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. Community First Bank – Chicago is the fourteenth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Illinois. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was First Suburban National Bank, Maywood, on October 22, 2010.

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Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 7,760 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200). PR-25-2011